Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

HOOVER,
ROGER S.

p. 894

Surnames: HOOVER, SNYDER, HOTTENSTEIN, KEHR, RICKENBACH,
BAGENSTROSE, KNOLL, HAIN, DEGLER, KOLLER, MADEIRA

Roger S. Hoover, station agent and despatcher for the Philadelphia
& Reading Railway Company at Tuckerton, Berks county, was born
Aug. 22, 1861, in Penn township, Berks county, son of John H. and
Elvina K. (Snyder) Hoover, and a grandson of John Hoover.

John Hoover, the grandfather, settled in
Maiden-creek township, Berks county, where he followed the trade of
millwright for a number of years. He died, however, in Heidelberg
township. He married Katharine Hottenstein, and their children
were: Joseph, of Reading; Catherine; John H.; Henry, deceased; and
Mary, who married Samuel Kehr. In religious belief the family were
Reformed, and in politics the men were Democrats.

John H. Hoover, father of Roger S., was born in
Maiden-creek township, where he received most of his education.
After attending a school at Holyoke, Mass., he commenced school
teaching, which he followed for many years, abandoning this
profession to go into the general mercantile business at
Brownsville, with his brother Joseph. Subsequently he engaged in
farming. He died in Penn township, Jan. 1, 1904, when he had
reached his seventy-third year. His wife is still living at the age
of seventy-three. To Mr. and Mrs. Hoover were born these children:
Catherine, who married (first) Edwin Rickenbach and (second)
Franklin Bagenstrose; Calvin, who in 1892 was appointed professor
in History in the university at Valparaiso, Ind.; Roger S.; David
S., who married Emma Knoll; Mary, who married Adam D. Bagenstrose;
Samuel S., who married Katie Hain; Francis, at home; Helen, who
married Thomas Degler; and John and Jacob, who died in infancy.

Roger S. Hoover was educated in the common
schools of his native township, and his first work after his
schooling was over was as a farm laborer. At the age of eighteen
years he went to work on the canal, where he was employed for seven
years, and then learned telegraphy. In 1887 he engaged with the
Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company as telegrapher, and
March 5, 1890, he accepted the position of night operator at
Tuckerton, being appointed in 1892 to the position of station agent
and despatcher. In 1891 Mr. Hoover was married to Anna K. Madeira,
daughter of Nicholas and Lydia (Koller) Madeira, and four children
have been born to this union: Byron, Miles, Lillian and Emily. In
religious belief the family are Reformed. Mr. Hoover is independent
in politics, and is fraternally connected with Leesport Lodge, No.
141, I. O. O. F., the Philadelphia & Reading Relief
Association, and the Loyal Protective Association.

HOOVER,
SAMUEL S.

p. 1036

Surnames: HOOVER, SNYDER, KEATING, FOLTZ, HOTTENSTINE, REIHOULD,
FREES, KEHR, BERGER, HEDLEY, BACKENSTOSE, DEGLER, HAIN, HENNINGER

Samuel S. Hoover, justice of the peace of Penn township, is an
enterprising business man of Mount Pleasant, and belongs to one of
Berks county’s old and honored families. Mr. Hoover was born July
28, 1870, in Penn township, son of John H. and Elvina (Snyder)
Hoover.

John Hoover, the great-great-great-grandfather
of Samuel S., in 1724 settled on 1,000 acres of land near where the
village of Reamstown, Lancaster county, now stands. It is thought
he was a native of Austria. His son, Francis Joseph Hoover, was the
father of Joseph Hoover, the great-grandfather of Samuel S. He was
born in Lancaster county, and spent his life on a farm about five
miles northwest of Reamstown. He married Jane Keating, and they had
the following children: John, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, William, Nancy
(who married Isaac Foltz) and Margaret.

Of this family John Keating Hoover, the
grandfather of Samuel S., was born near Reamstown, in West Cocalico
township, Lancaster county, Nov. 11, 1793, and died in Lower
Heidelberg township, Berks county, April 10, 1864. He is buried at
the Corner Church near Robesonia. He came to Berks county when
twenty-one years of age, locating in Maidencreek township, where he
followed the trade of miller and millwright, and also owned a small
farm on which he carried on agricultural operations. He died in his
seventy-first year. His first wife was Catherine Hottenstine, whom
he married in Reading in 1822, and they had five children: Joseph
H., born Sept. 8, 1823, who married (first) Annie Reihould, and
(second) Amanda Frees; Mary, deceased, who married Samuel Kehr;
Henry, who died in Franklin county, Pa.; John H.; and Catherine,
living in Reading. The grandfather’s second marriage was to
Catherine Berger, of Oley township, and to this union there was
born one son, Rev. Francis, a Lutheran minister of Lockport, N. Y.,
who married Jennie Hedley.

John H. Hoover, father of Samuel S., was
formerly a well-known schoolmaster in Bern, Penn and Lower
Heidelberg townships, and later became a clerk at Centreville. At
the time of his death he was engaged in farming in Penn township,
where he passed away in 1904; he was buried at Belleman’s Church.
He married Elvina Snyder, daughter of Abraham Snyder, and they had
these children besides Samuel S.: Kate, who married Frank
Backenstose; Prof. C. S., who is teaching history at Valparaiso,
Ind.; Roger S., ticket agent at Tuckerton for the Philadelphia
& Reading railroad; David S., a saddler at Fleetwood; Mary, who
married Adam D. Backenstose; Frances S., unmarried and at home in
Penn township; Helen, who married Thomas Degler, of Ruscombmanor
township; John and Jacob, who died young; and two who died in
infancy. Samuel S. Hoover attended the public schools of West
Leesport, and later the Keystone State Normal School, at Kutztown,
after leaving which he taught school for one term in North
Heidelberg, two terms in Bern and six terms in Penn township. In
1899 he became connected with Ahrens & Richardson, in the
creamery business, and he now has charge of the Mt. Pleasant
creamery. Mr. Hoover is a Democrat, and in addition to having
served his township as auditor, he is now serving his second term
as justice of the peace. He was one of the original board of
directors of the First National Bank of Bernville. His religious
connection is with the Hain’s Church. Mr. Hoover married Katie
Susanna Hain, only daughter of John W. and Mary (Henninger) Hain,
of Wernersville, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel S. Hoover live in Mount
Pleasant, and they have been blessed with one daughter, Mary E.

HOPPES, CHARLES H.

p 1013

Surnames: HOPPES, ROWE, DERR, HAAS FRY, REIDER, HAUCK, HARTMAN,
BOWER

Charles H. Hoppes, one of the progressive men of Oley township, a
school director and a well known man, was born in this township,
Nov. 15, 1866, son of Daniel R. Hoppes, and grandson of Solomon
Hoppes.

(I) Solomon Hoppes for many years was engaged in making pumps in
Oley township, and was one of the well known men of Berks county.
His wife was of the Rowe family, and they had three
children-Obediah, Amos and Daniel R.

(II) Daniel R. Hoppes was born in Oley township in 1838, and died
Feb. 10, 1900, being buried at Friedens cemetery. He was also a
pump maker, having learned his trade from a Mr. Derr at Oley or
Friedensburg. He followed this calling all of his active life, and
was noted for his excellent work and strict integrity of character.
He married Amelia Haas, daughter of Abraham Haas, and they had
children as follows: John is of Barto, Pa.; Mary m. Peter Fry;
Charles H.; Catharine m. Jonas Reider; Daniel H. is a blacksmith by
trade, and employed by his brother.

(III) Charles H. Hoppes attended the public schools of Oley
township until he was eighteen, when he went to Oley to learn the
blacksmith’s trade under Jeremiah Hauck. In 1888 he embarked in
business for himself, and in 1895 he erected a fine modern shop,
and he has one of the best stands in Berks county. Mr. Hoppes
devotes a good deal of his time to handling farm implements, and in
the spring of 1908 he purchased a large stock as well as the good
will of Ammon S. Hartman of Oley and is doing a thriving business,
which shows a healthy increase.

Mr. Hoppes married Miss Catharine Bower, a
daughter of Jeremiah and Catharine Bower, of Oley. They have two
children: Amelia B. and Edwin B. Mr. Hoppes is a Democrat, and for
fifteen years he served his township as auditor, and in 1907 was
elected to the position of school director. He is a Lutheran in
religious faith and one of the most liberal contributors to his
church in the community. Energetic, hard working and an excellent
business man, Mr. Hoppes is easily one of the leading men of his
township.

HORNBERGER
FAMILY

p. 1616

Surnames: HORNBERGER, HUFFERT, DEISHER, MOSSER, RUTH, GRANT, MARKS,
SPATZ, BURNS, WARNER, HEMMIG, MILLER, MOORE, GRILL, BRENDEL, YOST,
SEIDEL, HUYETT, ZACHARIES, MAYERS, HESS, WEIDNER, SCHWAGERL, YOCUM,
WARNER, REGAR, REHRER, BRUNNER, WESTLEY, HYMAN, PATTON, FREY,
DEEDS, GRING, SWARTZ, TROUT, MOHN, HEBERLING, GERMAN, DIETRICH,
TOBIAS, KROYER, TOBIAS, FREY, JOHNSON, BERG, UNGER, VIERLING,
EVANS, LEVAN, KURTZ, POTTEIGER, ALTHOUSE, SCHALL

The Hornberger family of Berks and surrounding Counties had its
origin in Johann Carl (Charles) and his son Conrad Hornberger, who
emigrated from Switzerland. The Pennsylvania Archives give the date
of their landing at Philadelphia as Sept. 5, 1730. When (I) Carl
Hornberger left his native land and sailed for the New World on the
ship “Alexandria Ann,” he was accompanied by his wife, Anna Eva,
and at least two sons, the one Conrad, and another who died enroute
and was buried at sea. This emigrant family brought with them a
Bible, in which was kept the family register, but unfortunately
this precious book fell into the possession of a later family of
Hornbergers who moved to Illinois, and who, not appreciating it’s
priceless value, permitted it to become the plaything of children,
and it’s destruction followed as a matter of course.

In 1759 Johann Carl Hornberger paid a federal
tax of 9 in Brecknock township, Berks county. His will is on
record in the Berks county court-house, and was probated in 1786,
the year of his death. In it he mentions that he himself was old in
years; and refers to these children: Conrad, George Frederick
(whose place of settlement is unknown), Maria Eva, and John Jacob
(who settled in Lancaster county.

(II) Conrad Hornberger, son of Johann Carl, was born in the Old
World, and as stated accompanied his parents to Pennsylvania. He
was a blacksmith by trade, and made his home in Brecknock township
near Gouglersville, where he owned a tract of upward of three
hundred acres of land. This tract in later years became the
property of his son, Conrad, Jr. His wife was Catharine Huffert. He
died in 1796, and in that year his will was probated. In this
document he mentions children: David; Conrad; Carl; Margaret;
Catharine; Magdalena; and Mary.

(III) Conrad Hornberger, Jr., son of Conrad, was a farmer and
distiller in Brecknock township, owning his father’s estate, which
consisted originally of about three hundred acres, and which in
time was divided into three tracts and shared among three sons. A.
S. Deisher, of Reading, now owns 197 acres of it. Conrad Hornberger
was born Oct. 6, 1771, and died June 20, 1851, aged nearly eighty
years, and is buried at Gouglersville, Berks county. He married
Elizabeth Mosser, born Dec. 25, 1779, who died on her birthday
seventy-six years later. Their children were: (1) Isaac (born Jan.
22, 1802, died aged fifty seven years, fifteen days), a farmer on a
part of the homestead, married Hannah Ruth. (2) William H. is
mentioned below. (3) John (born Dec. 19, 1805, died April 15,
1887), who also owned part of the homestead, m. Hannah Grant
(1816-1885). (4) Kate m. George Marks (son of George Marks, Sr.),
who was a laborer in Cumru township. (5) Joseph M. (born March 18,
1812, died Aug. 18, 1894, aged eighty-two years, five months) m.
(first) Cassie (or Catharine) Spatz, by whom he had eleven
children, (second) Mary Burns (born Nov. 27,1827, daughter of Jacob
Burns, died Oct. 5, 1868, aged forty years, ten months, eight
days), by whom he had one son and (third) Barbara Warner, daughter
of Joseph. (6) Elizabeth m. Joseph Hemmig, of Cumru township. (7)
Conrad, born Oct. 6, 1809, died Dec. 7, 1899, aged ninety years,
two months, one day. He was a well-known man, at one time
conducting the “Leopard Hotel,” at Baumstown, Pa., and later the
“Angelica Hotel.” He m. Bertha Hemmig (1807-1875, daughter of David
and Catharine Hemmig), and they had a large family –Catherine,
James (born March 12, 1835), Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah, Emma, Maggie,
Rufus, Sebastian and John. (8) Catherine m. Nathan Miller. (9)
Susanna m. Jeremiah Moore. (10) Emanuel died unmarried when aged
about fifty years. He was an invalid. (11) Richard (born Sept. 16,
1816, died April 21, 1892, aged seventy-five years, seven months,
five days) m. Polly Grill (1825-1885), was a farmer and lived on
part of the old homestead. He served as school director and was
well-known in his community. (12) Mary m. John Brendel, who moved
by team to Mifflin county, Pennsylvania. (IV) William H.
Hornberger, son of Conrad, Jr., was born Feb. 4, 1804, in Brecknock
township. He died Dec. 1, 1887, aged eighty-three years, nine
months, twenty-seven days. He was an able horseman, and always had
a fine team of well-kept horses, in which he took a deep interest.
At the age of fourteen years he began driving a six-horse team,
drawing a big Conestoga wagon. At this time there were no canals or
railroads, and he made frequent trips to Philadelphia, taking down
flour and bringing back merchandise and freight for the settlers of
Cumru and the people of Reading. During these trips he would feed
and stable his team under the clear sky. He had oil blankets with
which he covered his horses, and often on winter mornings they
stood in deep snow that came up to their bellies. Mr. Hornberger
would sleep on or under the wagon, rolled up in blankets, with a
revolver in each hand, for robberies and murders were frequent, and
on the return trip he had upon his person from $500 to $2500 in
money. He was never robbed and never lost a cent, but he always was
on guard, and because of his strength and great courage was much
feared by the robbers. Several times upon his arrival home during
the winter, he had to be lifted from his saddle horse, his legs and
feet being so stiff that his sister Elizabeth (Mrs. Hemmig) soaked
his frozen boots and stocking from his feet with hot water before
he could walk.

In 1824 he hauled the first lumber from
Marietta, Lancaster county, for the construction of the county
almshouse. Mr. Hornberger was not only a famous teamster, but also
one of the best farmers of the county, and was widely known. He
possessed considerable property, owning the tract of land in Cumru
township, now belonging to Harry Frey, as well as other land. In
his later life, while in the field plowing, Almighty God in a
wonderful way manifested Himself to him. He was a member of the
Evangelical Church of Mohnsville, and an ardent Christian until his
death. He was bitterly opposed to the use of tobacco and spiritous
liquors, and was a model man in every way, and was very much
esteemed. His death was a loss to the community, where he was
regarded as a valuable and good man. In politics he was a
Republican, and he served as supervisor of his township.

William H. Hornberger married Nellie Deeds, born
April 3, 1806, daughter of Henry W. and Mary (Warner) Deeds of
Cumru township. She died Jan. 1, 1888, aged eighty-one years, eight
months, twenty-eight days. She bore him the following children:
Harriet m. Reuben Gring. Cyrus D. is mentioned below. Joseph D. is
mentioned below. William, who was a farmer in Cumru, m. Amanda
Hemmig. Ellen m. Joseph Swartz. Mary, born June 11, 1846, m. Samuel
K. Miller, of Mohnton, Pa. Catharine m. Henry Trout.

(V) Cyrus D. Hornberger, son of William H.., was born in Cumru
township, Berks county, July 14, 1832, and since March, 1906, has
lived retired in Reading. His youth was passed on the farm, and he
learned the gun-barrel manufacturing business form his uncle, Henry
W. Deeds of Cumru. This vocation he followed for three years, and
then went to the wheelwright trade, which he followed at Mohnton
for thirty years. He worked at carpentering for some two years, and
then began farming on his sixty[three acre tract at Mohnton, In
1879 he built the present house in this land, and the following
year, 1880, he erected the barn. He farmed eight years, and then,
building a comfortable brick house at Mohnton, moved there, and
made it his home until his removal to Reading. From 1874 to 1889 he
carried on hat manufacturing in a factory he had erected the former
year. In 1866 he built a grist-mill, developed the water-power, and
after operating it a few years sold it to Reuben Gring; and he also
erected the water-power of the Globe Hat Works, how the property of
his son, Aaron S. Mr. Hornberger was a prominent man in his day,
and it can be truly said that the world benefited by his useful
life. He was a man of progress and enterprise. He owned
considerable property which was covered with timber when he
obtained it. This he cut down, cleared the soil of rocks and
stumps, and he donated the land to the Reading and Southwestern
Street Railway Company as an inducement to build their line to his
town — the only man to do so. He still owns property in Cumru, and
four dwellings and a building in Mohnton, of which town he was one
of the founders, the other surviving founder being Samuel K. Mohn.
The town was named in honor of Mr. Mohn’s father and himself.

On Oct 1, 1854, Mr. Hornberger married Caroline
Spatz, born Dec. 8, 1833, daughter of John and Mary (Heberling)
Spatz of Cumru. Six children were born of this union, namely:
Milton S., who died in 1886, is mentioned farther on; Joanna, who
m. the late James Westley, now resides at No 420 North Twelfth
street, Reading; Josephus S. is mentioned below; Aaron S.; Cyrus
lives at Toledo, Ohio; and Emma died in 1886, aged fourteen years.

(VI) Milton S. Hornberger, son of Cyrus D., was born May e, 1856,
and he died March 2, 1886, in the faith of the Evangelical Church,
of which he was an official member. For a number of years he was a
surveyor at Mohnton, and he also served in the capacity of engineer
in the Hornberger & Co. hat factory. He was known as a man of
integrity and honesty. In 1882 he married Emma German, born April
30, 1857, daughter of George and Kate (Dietrich) German, natives of
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and three children were born of this
union: Mabel, a seamstress at Mohnton; Harry G.; and Milton G., a
hat finisher.

(VII) Harry G. Hornberger, an enterprising young business man of
Mohnton, Pa., where he is extensively engaged in contracting and
building, was born Nov. 12, 1884, in Mohnton, Pa., a son of Milton
S. and Emma (German) Hornberger, and grandson of Cyrus D.
Hornberger, mention of whom is made fully elsewhere in this volume.
Mr. Hornberger was educated in the schools of his native township,
and also took a complete architectural course in the International
Correspondence School of Scranton, Pa., When seventeen years of
age, he went to learn the carpenter’s trade with Jacob F. Westley,
of Mohnton, Pa., and at the time of Mr. Westley’s death, Feb. 7,
1906, Mr. Hornberger became his successor. He has continued the
business to the present time, employing on an average six skilled
mechanics, and among the buildings erected by him may be mentioned:
the large Mohnton Knitting Mills; Hendel’s Hat Factory (remodeled);
the Fritztown Knitting Mills; the residence of Oswin F. Kroyer, of
Edison; the Albert H. Tobias double building, dwelling and cigar
factory, at Edison; the Mt. Pleasant public school in Cumru, and a
number of others. Mr. Hornberger is a man of enterprise and
progressive ideas, and is succeeding through his business ability,
his integrity, and his willingness to live up to the letter of each
contract. In politics he is an independent voter. Fraternally he is
connected with Washington Camp. P. O. S. of A., and with Hillside
Camp, No. 8020, Modern Woodmen of American, both of Mohnton,
Pennsylvania.

(VI) Josephus S. Hornberger, son of Cyrus D. proprietor of a lake
and park at Mohnton, and a well-known clothier at reading, Pa., was
born Jan. 11, 1861. He spent his boyhood days upon the farm, and
attended the local schools of this township, which he left when
sixteen years old o learn carpentering from his father. He followed
that trade for a few years. In 1881, he learned the hatter’s trade,
at which he was engaged until about 1886, when he commenced farming
on his father’s place, which came into his possession in later
years. When he farmed he also did general hauling for the business
men of Mohnton. In 1889 he sold his farm stock and moved to
Mohnton, engaging in the ice business, which he conducted
successfully for ten years. He served the trade not only at
Mohnton, but also at Reading, continuing there until 1899, when he
leased his plant to the Reading Cold Storage Ice Company. In 1909
Mr. Hornberger purchased the good will, fixtures and stock of the
Morris Weil Clothing House, located at No. 642 Penn street,
Reading, one of the oldest and best-known clothing houses of the
city. He then formed a partnership with his son, Alvin M., under
the firm name of J. S. Hornberger & Co., and they enjoy in a
large measure the patronage of the people of Berks and surrounding
counties. They carry a large line of up-to-date goods. Recently Mr.
Hornberger purchased a tract of woodland, cut the wood, and used it
in the construction of lake at Mohnton, which covers an area of six
and one-half acres. This lake and the adjoining park make one of
the pleasure resorts of the district. Mr. Hornberger has several
steel rowboats and one naptha launch upon the lake, all of which
are in constant use during the summer. On Nov. 29, 1906, his boat
house was destroyed by fire and a launch which cost his $700 was
burned. He has since replaced it. Jr. Hornberger is a stockholder
in the Merchants & Traders Oil Company, of Ohio. He is
president of the H. S. Hornberger Wholesale Ice Company, and is at
present busily engaged in building six large ice house, with
concrete abutments, for the use of this concern, which disposes of
about fifteen thousand tons of ice annually and is steadily adding
to its trade. Besides his handsome residence, Mr. Hornberger owns
twelve other dwellings in his town, and the sixty-two and a half
acres of farm land which belonged to his father. He undoubtedly
inherits his love for fine horses, and one of his prize possessions
in “Hilker, a pacing horse with a record of 2:15 made at “Three
Mile House” in 1906. He is a republican in politics and socially is
a member of Tent No. 426, K. O. T. M., of Reading, the largest Tent
in the State. He and his family are members of the Salem
Evangelical Association of his town.

On Aug. 23, 1881, Mr. Hornberger was married to
Kate G. Mosser, daughter of Nicholas and Sally (Grill) Mosser, and
they have one son and one daughter, namely: (1) Alvin M., who is a
graduate of the township high school and the Schissler Business
College (class of 1900), Norristown, Pa., is a member of the firm
of J. S. Hornberger & Co. He m. Mame E. Johnson, daughter of J.
M. Johnson, contractor of water works, of Millersburg, Dauphin Co.,
Pa., and they reside at No. 243 South Twelfth street, Reading. Mrs.
Alvin M. Hornberger is a graduate of Freeburg Musical College,
class of 1897, and is an accomplished musician and a talented
vocalist. (2) Charlotte E. is an accomplished musician, having been
a pupil of the late professor Berg, of Reading, and also of
Professor Unger. She traveled with Tolls Stock Company, under the
leadership of the well-known Mrs. Reber of Philadelphia. She is now
the wife of James A. G. Vierling, of Reading, who is a foreman at
the Reading Railway Locomotive shops. The J. S. Hornberger family
mansion, completed in the summer of 1908, is a beautiful variegated
glass cement residence at the corner of Lake and Front streets,
Mohnton, and is known as Lakeside, since it overlooks the large
artificial lake constructed by Mr. Hornberger. It is the most
attractive home in Berks county, and the only one of its kind in
Pennsylvania. It is built of solid cement, porch, floors, columns,
etc., all being of cement. The porch columns are two feet in
diameter and very massive in appearance. At a short distance the
outside walks resemble tile work. This effect as produced by
pressing small pieces of stained glass into the cement before it
hardened. It was Mr. Hornberger’s own idea. There are entrances at
the front, in the rear, and on either side. This home is very
conveniently arranged, the rooms and large, and everything about
the place tends to promote the idea of comfort. It is lighted by
electricity throughout. Cement figures and a large fountain
ornament the yard. Mr. Hornberger is at present busily engaged in
erecting a handsome mansion for his son Alvin, who will occupy it
as soon as it is finished.

(V) Joseph D. Hornberger, former steward of the Berks county
almshouse, and the odes and best known auctioneer in the county,
was born in the Hornberger homestead in Cumru township, where he
now resides, Sept. 23, 1834. He is a son of William H. and Nellie
(Deeds) Hornberger, mention of whose family and ancestry is made
above. Mr. Hornberger attended the old pay schools in vogue in his
boyhood, acquiring a good business education He worked upon his
father’s farm until he was twenty-two years old, and then began
farming on his father-in-law’s farm, in Cumru township, near Flying
Hill. He began poor, buying his farm stock on credit, but no
obligations were ever more sacredly kept than his — when his notes
became due they were promptly met. This 145 acre farm he cultivated
for seven years. IN 1859 the barn on this property was totally
destroyed by fire, incurring a loss to Mr. Hornberger of about
three thousand dollars. His entire farm stock, including fifteen
cows, chickens, grain, thirty-five tons of hay and farm implements,
were consumed in the devouring flames, and Mr. and Mrs. Hornberger
had to begin life anew. He then moved to the “Three Mile House,”
conducting that hotel for three years, when he took to farming
again, on the old Evan’s estate, now owned by the Levans. Six years
later he sold all of his fine stock, and the sale, held in the
spring, was the largest one ever held in the county up to that
date. People attended from far and wide, and his stock brought Mr.
Hornberger almost ten thousand dollars. He now moved to
Shillington, where he erected three large brick dwellings on
Lancaster avenue, occupying one of them until he moved upon the
Kurtz farm and into the “Kurtz House,” were he lived four years. In
1876 he moved to the “Five Mile House,” which hotel he greatly
remodeled and also built shedding, and while there enjoyed an
extensive patronage.

In 1882 he moved back to the “Three Mile House,”
living there until 1885, when he was elected steward of the Berks
county almshouse. He continued to fill that office for a period of
seven years, during which time he did much for the county home. He
enjoys the reputation to this day of having been the best steward
Berks county ever had and the county is indebted to him for having
brought the 500-acre farm up to its present high standard of
fertility and productiveness. Under his management the fences were
torn our, the fields made larger, and the value and beauty of the
property increased in many ways. Jr. Hornberger was a great
favorite with the inmates of the home. He is a man of sunshiny
disposition and possesses any other attractive characteristics,
among which are frankness, honesty, promptness, kindness, and good
common sense. In the fall of 1892 Mr. Hornberger and Mr. John C.
Potteiger bought out William D. Althouse, proprietor of the
“William Penn Hotel” and the well-known horse bazaar of West
Philadelphia. In 1893, Mr. Hornberger sold out his interest in the
enterprise to his partner, and the following year erected the house
at Brookside now owned by Capt. Schall, where he lived until 1899.
In 1900, by request, he became the proprietor of “Carsonia Inn”
Building up its trade, but he finally moved back to Cumru township,
settling upon a farm adjacent to the Hornberger homestead, where he
is now engaged in farming and crying sales.

Mr. Hornberger is a very remarkable man in many
ways. He has wonderful vital powers, and few men have had a more
interesting career. He has been both successful and unsuccessful,
having been a success in making money and unsuccessful in holding
it. The losses he has suffered, however, have been in no way due to
negligence or lack of ability on his part, but to such mischance’s
of fortune as would have dampened the enterprise of a less
indomitable spirit. As a horse and cattle dealer he lost many
animals by death. He lost nearly twenty thousand dollars and
bailing and indorsing for people, and thirty thousand dollars would
not cover what he lost by others’ lack of responsibility, the death
of cattle and horses, and the destruction of his barn and loss of
his farm stock. In 1852, when eighteen years old, he began crying
sales, a business which he has followed now for more than half a
century. In this procession Mr. Hornberger has met with remarkable
success, and has no equal in his section of the county. His lung
power is wonderful, and his voice is powerful and can be heard far
away. He has cried sales throughout eastern Pennsylvania, and has
sold more farm stock, household goods, cattle and horses than any
other two men in Berks county. The value of the goods he has
disposed of amounts to millions of dollars. In politics Mr.
Hornberger is a Republican and cast his first vote in 1856 for
Fremont for President. In religious matters he is a free thinker,
and believes in right living, because right is right and God is
God.

On Dec. 24, 1857, Mr. Hornberger was married to
Anna Louisa S. Yost, daughter of Nicholas and Susanna (Seidel)
Yost, and granddaughter of Nicholas Yost. To Mr. and Mrs.
Hornberger were born two sons and one daughter, namely: (1) Douglas
Y., born Nov. 26, 1858, died June 5, 1901. He married Katie Huyett,
and they had two children, Hattie and Mabel. (2) S. Ellen married
Wellington Zacharies, a butcher of Fleetwood, and they have one
daughter, Gertrude H. L. (3) Howard Y., born April 15, 1864, is a
speculator in horses, and is an all around horseman, an excellent
trainer and driver, and has raced in the Grand Circle. He is an
able, intelligent man, an auctioneer of note, and has cried sales
throughout eastern Pennsylvania, frequently assisting his father,
from whom he learned the profession when a young man.

(IV) Joseph M. Hornberger, son of Conrad, Jr., born March 18, 1812,
died Aug. 18, 1894, aged eighty-two years, five months. He was an
agriculturist by occupation, and owned the old homestead of
seventy-five acres. For many years he served as supervisor, and was
a very well known man in his day. He married (first) Catharine (or
Cassie) Spatz, daughter of John Spatz, Sr., and they had eleven
children, namely: Urias S., of Reinhold’s Station, Pa., Margaret,
m. to Augustus Mayers, a merchant in Hardin county, Iowa;
Elizabeth, m. to Leo J. Hess, of Reading; Catharine, m. to John Y.
Weidner, postmaster of Mohnton; Joseph S., of Mohnton; Ephraim, who
died young; Hannah, m. to Peter Schwagerl, Custom House clerk of
New York; Susan, m. to George Yocum, of Reading; and John, Edward
M. and Frank, who died young. Joseph M. Hornberger m. (second) Mary
Burns, born Nov. 27, 1827, daughter of Jacob Burns, died Oct. 5,
1868, aged forty years, ten months, eight days. To this union was
born, William of Reading. He m. (third) Barbara Warner, daughter of
Joseph. By the third marriage there were no children.

(V) Joseph S. Hornberger, son of Joseph M., was born on the old
homestead in Cumru township, Feb. 10, 1851, and was given the
advantages of the township schools. At the age of eighteen he
learned the hatter’s trade with J. K. Ruth, of near Mohnton, which
he follows to the present time. From 1896 to 1901 he was a partner
in the firm of the Globe Hat Company, which went out of existence
in the latter year. In politics he is a Republican, and he and his
family are active members of Salem Evangelical Church of Mohnton,
of which he was an officer for a number of years. On Jan. 30, 1875,
Mr. Hornberger was married to Amanda R. Regar, daughter of Jacob
and Elizabeth (Rehrer) Regar, and to this union had been born one
son, Charles B. Mr. Hornberger is a man who has always stood high
in the estimation of his fellow townsmen, and he has many friends.

(VI) Charles B. Hornberger, son of Joseph S., and one of the
well-known citizens of Cumru township, where he is driving Route
No. 1, Rural Free Delivery, of Mohnton, was born Dec. 10, 1876, at
Adamstown, Lancaster county. He received a good education in the
public schools, afterward attending Prof. D. B. Brunner’s Business
College. He then engaged in the milk business, being the pioneer in
the town in that line. This he sold out to Samuel Westley, and
began work in the Globe Hat factory. Here he worked for five years,
and then spent four years in the employ of J. H. Spatz & Co. On
May 15, 1905, after passing a difficult civil service examination,
Mr. Hornberger began driving a twenty-four mile Rural Free Delivery
route, which takes in the southern part of Cumru township, and this
he has continued to the present time. He and his father reside
together in a fine brick residence at the northwest corner of
Church and Summit streets, in the borough of Mohnton. He is a
Republican in politics, and fraternally is connected with Camp No.
211, P. O. S. of A., and the K. G. E., both of Mohnton. He and his
wife attend the Evangelical Church. Mr. Hornberger was married to
Miss Grace Hyman, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Patton) Hyman,
of Churchtown, Lancaster county, and two children have been born to
the union: Evelyn U. and Charles C.

HORNING
FAMILY

p. 1054

Surnames: HORNING, BEIGHTAL, SHAFFER, HOSHOUR, POWELL, HEIFFLER,
MOSSER, SHIRK, LICHTY, GEHMAN, ZIEMER, WESTLEY, NEWSWANGER, GOOD,
MARTIN, MUSSER, HURST, BEAM, KERN, GRIFFITH, SCHNADER, FRITZ,
HORNBERGER, KACHEL, YELK, TRAIT, MATZ, BRENDEL, KLINE

For nearly two centuries the Horning family has been residing in
this section of Pennsylvania, and members in each generation have
been active in the work of the Mennonite Church, and all have led
God-fearing, upright lives. Among those who today are active in
mercantile or agricultural life may be mentioned Jeremiah Horning,
his brother John Horning, and in the younger generation, John B.,
Isaac Z. and Aaron Horning.

(I) Bentz Horning was the first of the family in Berks county. He
came from Germany early in the eighteenth century, and with his son
Paul settled in what is now Brecknock township. He had two sons,
Michael and Paul. Of these. Michael settled at the Trappe, in
Montgomery county, and his son John lived in Huntingdon county,
where he owned a large farm. Gilbert Horning, son of John, was born
at Rebecca Forge in 1820, and lived on the homestead all his life,
becoming a man of affairs, and prominent in public work, serving as
director of the poor; he married Elizabeth Beightal, and had
children: John (a minister of the Central Pennsylvania Conference
of the Methodist Episcopal Church), Gilbert C. (a bookkeeper for
the Reading Iron Company, Reading) and William D. (born July 2,
1847, an attorney in Berks, director of the poor for three years,
married Laura J. Shaffer, of Reading, and has one child, Mary E.).

(II) Paul Horning, son of Bentz, accompanied his father from the
Fatherland, and settled in Brecknock township, then a part of
Lancaster county. He owned a tract of land at Alleghenyville, which
is now the property of Jeremiah Hoshour. He was a farmer and
windmill (fanmill) maker. Both he and his wife Margaret are buried
at the Allegheny meeting-house, and their graves are marked with
rough sandstones, but the inscriptions are no longer decipherable.
He died in 1831, when well advanced in years. His children were:
Polly; Kate; Daniel, who died unmarried; Wendel, who lived above
Reamstown, and is buried at Mohler’s meeting-house; Samuel, who
lived for some time in Maryland, but later returned to
Pennsylvania, and died in Lancaster county; Joseph; Nancy; Sally,
who married Isaac Powell, of Lancaster; and Susan, who married
Charles Heiffler.

(III) Joseph Horning, son of Paul, was born May 9, 1798. He made
his home in Brecknock township, along the Allegheny creek, where he
owned a small tract of land. He was a wagoner by trade, and
followed that line nearly all his life in connection with farming.
He was very well known, was highly esteemed, and was a consistent
follower of the Mennonite faith. He died Jan. 25, 1876, aged
seventy-seven years, eight months, sixteen days, and his remains
rest in the cemetery at the Allegheny meeting-house. He married
Fanny Mosser, who was born July 22, 1803, and who died Jan. 24,
1889, in her eighty-sixth year. Their five children–two sons and
three daughters–were: Rev. Benjamin; Esther, who married Joseph
Shirk, of Spring Grove, Pa.; Nancy, who married Peter Lichty, of
Churchtown, Pa.; Moses, of Bowmansville; and Fannie, born Sept. 30,
1830, who married Henry Gehman, of Adamstown, and is the only one
now living, at the present time making her home with her son.

(IV) Rev. Benjamin Horning, son of Joseph, was born on his father’s
farm Feb. 22, 1824, and his death occurred Nov. 3, 1903. He passed
his entire life in the one neighborhood, making his home on a tract
of forty acres he owned near the Allegheny Church, and which is now
owned by his son Aaron. From his father he learned the wagoner’s
trade, which he followed continuously until 1890, when he gave up
his business that he might devote his entire time to the service of
the Master.

He was ordained to the ministry of the Mennonite
Church in 1862. His ministerial work was largely confined to the
churches of Alleghenyville, Berks county; Adamstown; Gehman’s
Church; and Bowmansville, Lancaster county. In his younger days he
was often called to preach the word to other congregations, and he
frequently officiated at funerals of friends of other
denominations. Occasionally he preached in the Allegheny Union
Church to Lutheran and Reformed people. His funeral, attended by a
large concourse of friends, was held in that church. He was
possessed of a high sense of honor, and was beloved by all who knew
him. In the pulpit he was an able and fluent speaker, one whose
earnestness and sincerity were never questioned.

He married Luzetta Ziemer, born Nov. 8, 1824,
died Nov. 16, 1900, daughter of Jeremiah and Polly (Westley)
Ziemer, well-known farming people of Brecknock township. To Rev.
Benjamin and Mrs. Horning were born thirteen children, namely:
Augustus, a farmer near Bowmansville, Pa.; John, mentioned below;
Joseph, a farmer near Bowmansville, who died in 1898; Jeremiah,
mentioned in full farther on; Susan, who married Martin Newswanger,
of Goodville, Pa.; Mary, who died in young womanhood; Fannie, who
died young; Sarah, who married John Shirk, of Philadelphia;
Benjamin, who died in infancy; Lizzie, who married Monroe Good, of
Bowmansville; Isaac Z., full mention of whom is made later; Katie,
who married Christian Martin, of Terre Hill, Pa.; and Aaron, who
resides on the old homestead at Alleghenyville, mentioned below.

(V) John Horning, son of Rev. Benjamin, was born near
Alleghenyville, Nov. 3, 1849, and was reared to manhood on the
farm. He obtained a limited education in the township school, which
he left at an early age. When twenty years old he started out for
himself, for two years working on a farm in Lancaster county. In
1872 he was married, and after that for a while worked at day’s
labor, but again took up farming, which he successfully carried on
nine years. At the end of that time he purchased a forty-acre tract
in Paradise township, Lancaster county, which he operated for six
years. Forming a partnership with H. E. Musser in 1889, under the
name of Musser & Horning, he engaged in the hardware and
implement business at Kinzers, a venture that proved very
successful and was continued for eleven years. The partnership was
the dissolved, and Mr. Horning took entire charge. A year later he
sold the implement business to his former partner, but the hardware
line he retained, and this he improved, adding to the stock, and
meeting the growing demands of trade. He prospered in his work, but
because of a good offer made him by the McCormick Harvesting
Machine Company he discontinued the business, and moved to
Lancaster, Pa., where he has a comfortable home. While Mr. Horning
was yet associated in business with Mr. Musser he did most of the
traveling in the interest of the firm, and in this way obtained a
thorough knowledge of the implement business. Since 1900 he has
given all his time and energy to the interests of the McCormick
Company. His territory includes twelve counties in Pennsylvania,
Virginia and Maryland. His success is due to his thorough knowledge
of the business and his upright principles.

On Jan. 30, 1872, he married Hettie A. Good, who
was born in Leacock township, Lancaster county, Nov. 24, 1848,
daughter of Isaac H. and Hettie (Hurst) Good. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Horning adhere to the Mennonite faith.

(V) Jeremiah Horning, son of Rev. Benjamin and brother of John, was
born April 7, 1853, and was reared upon his father’s farm,
remaining at home until he was twenty years of age. He then married
and engaged in trucking on the old Henry Westley farm of twenty
acres, where he remained two years. In the centennial year he moved
upon his present property, which he then bought, and engaged in
butchering, farming and trucking on a large scale. While
butchering, which he continued for a period of fifteen years, he
killed on an average six steers a week, and had two teams on the
road, besides attending the Reading market three times a week.
Three hired men were kept constantly at work, and much was
accomplished under Mr. Horning’s able supervision. In 1900 Mr.
Horning became engaged in the lumbering business, and since then
has had two portable sawmills in operation, cutting down timber and
sawing the logs for market. in this connection he has some half
dozen people employed. In 1888 he engaged in mercantile business in
Alleghenyville, and this he carried on until 1904, when he turned
it over to his son John B., who now conducts it. For about ten
years he has been engaged in cattle dealing, handling as many as
one thousand head per annum.

Mr. Horning is the founder of Alleghenyville,
and he had all the buildings of the village erected with the
exception of the church and the school-house. Most of the town is
built on land belonging to him. He is the foremost man in the
township, and has dome more for the community than any other one
man. His farm consists of 100 acres of good land, and he had a well
drilled 500 feet from his buildings, 127 feet deep, which furnishes
the best of water for his family as well as his stock. In politics
he is a Republican, has been delegate to county conventions, and
was the first postmaster at Alleghenyville, also serving as school
director for six years. He was one of the liberal contributors to
the Allegheny Church, erected in 1878, and he and his family are
all faithful Mennonites.

On March 8, 1873, Jeremiah Horning was married
to Sarah Beam, born June 29, 1853, daughter of Richard and Salome
(Kern) Beam, of Bowmansville. To this union were born seven sons
and five daughters: Mary married Isaac Griffith, of Alleghenyville;
Samuel married Mary Schnader, and resides in Philadelphia; Lucy
married Raymond Fritz, of Reamstown; Alice married James
Hornberger, of Reading; John B. married Lillie M. Kachel, and is a
merchant at Alleghenyville; Sallie died in her third year; Benjamin
died in infancy; Harry B. is a mechanic at Cleveland, Ohio; and
Irwin, Abel, Annie V. and Walter are all at home.

(V) Isaac Z. Horning, son of Rev. Benjamin and brother of Jeremiah,
was born Oct. 18, 1868, and was reared with his brothers and
sisters on the home farm, attending the district schools until he
was fifteen years old. He assisted in the work of the home farm
until 1886, when he began working for his brother Jeremiah as
butcher and farm hand. Here he continued for eight years, for the
last three being chief butcher. In 1897 he bought out the business,
and since then has attended the Reading market twice a week in the
winter and three times in the summer. He has stalls Nos. 60-61 at
the Bingaman street market, where he enjoys a large patronage. He
kills on an average five or six steers a week during the entire
year. Besides his market trade he runs a wagon throughout the
county. His reputation is of the best, and he conducts his business
on honorable principles. Like all his family he is a Mennonite in
religious faith, attending the church in which his father was for
so many years the minister. In politics he is a Republican, and
since 1899 has efficiently served as school director, for one year
being secretary of the board.

On Dec. 11, 1886, Isaac Z. Horning was married
to Ellen Yelk, daughter of John and Jestina (Trait) Yelk, the
former a farmer and blacksmith in Brecknock township. To this union
have come two children: Katie, who married Rudy M. Matz, of
Alleghenyville; and Lewis Y., who is assisting his father, and who
is married to Sallie Matz.

(VI) John B. Horning, son of Jeremiah, was born Oct. 24, 1882. His
early education was obtained in the township schools, and he later
attended Perkiomen Seminary, from which he graduated in 1902, being
among the first ten in class of fifty and one of the commencement
speakers. He was a prominent athlete, being captain of the class
track team in his senior year and a member of the relay team which
carried off first honors at the University of Pennsylvania relay
races. In the fall of 1899 he began teaching in his native
township, teaching the Remps school two terms, and at
Alleghenyville one term. In the spring of 1903 he bought out his
father’s store at Alleghenyville, and in conducting this has proved
he chose wisely when he adopted a mercantile career. He is
courteous and obliging, and keeps up a good stock, successfully
meeting the wants of his large and increasing custom. He served as
assistant postmaster to his father from 1902 to 1905, when the
office was discontinued by the establishment of the rural mail
route. Mr. Horning is a young man who has earned his prosperity by
a close adherence to the high business principles instilled in him
by his honored father, and he keeps wide awake to the interests of
the community. He was one of the charter members of Knauer Lodge,
No. 3052, Knights and Ladies of Honor, organized Sept. 16, 1908, at
Knauer’s, Pa., and its first financial secretary.

In 1901 John B. Horning was married to Lillie
Kachel, daughter of Albert and Maggie (Griffith) Kachel, well known
farming people of Brecknock township. Four children have blessed
this union, namely: Stanley, Inza, Esther and Elsie. Mr. Horning
has been active in the Republican party, has served on the election
board, and has been the township committeeman since 1906. He is a
Lutheran in religious faith, attending the Allegheny Union Church,
and he served as superintendent of the Sunday-school from 1900 to
1907.

(V) Aaron Horning, a truck farmer at Alleghenyville, was born there
Oct. 15, 1872, son of Rev. Benjamin and Luzetta Horning. He was
reared upon the farm and attended the township schools, after the
manner of the farmer boys of that locality. He remained on the home
farm assisting his father until 1894, when he began for himself on
the old homestead, which consists of forty-seven acres of good
truck land. He pays especial attention to trucking and goes to the
Reading market once or twice a week, having stand No. 66 at the
Bingaman street market. He has met with success in his work, and is
hard-working and honest. He and his family are Mennonites, and have
their place of worship below Alleghenyville.

Mr. Horning was married in 1893 to Mary Ellen
Brendel, who was born Dec. 23, 1871, daughter of Esaias and Eliza
(Kline) Brendel, farming people of Brecknock township. They have
two sons, Paul, born Nov. 17, 1894, and Howard, born Feb. 11, 1898.
Mr. Horning owns the old farm where his father lived and died,
while the home of his grandfather stood but a short distance to the
southeast.

HORNING,
WESLEY

p. 770

Surnames: HORNING, MCNOLL, WHITMAN, WRIGHT, GARMAN, MILLER, GANTER

Wesley Horning, who died Oct. 26, 1901, was born in Huntingdon
county, Pa., Feb. 12, 1837, son of John and Mary Horning. Possessed
of a good mind and a keen desire for education, Mr. Horning was not
satisfied with the work he could do in the common schools in his
day, and in 1860 he began what proved to be a four years’ course in
Freeland Seminary. He then came to Reading and entered upon his
apprenticeship as a carpenter, but before he had completed his term
he enlisted in the army for a period of nine months. He served as a
private in Company B, 128th Pa. V. I., under Capt. McNoll, was in
the battles of South Mountain, Antietam and Chancellorsville, and
was honorable discharged May 29, 1863. On his return to Reading Mr.
Horning completed his apprenticeship, and then worked at carpentry
for twenty-three years. He next became connected with the Reading
Car-wheel Works, and was there employed at the time of his death.

On May 25, 1870, Mr. Horning married Miss Clara
Whitman, daughter of Benjamin and Catherine (Wright) Whitman. No
children were born to them, but they took into their home and
hearts a niece of Mrs. Horning, Anna Whitman, and also another
child, Stella Garman. The last named became Mrs. James Miller,
while Anna Whitman married Philip Ganter. In religious belief the
family were Evangelical, and Mr. Horning was an active worker in
the church to which he belonged, at different times having held
almost all the offices in it. He was universally held in high
esteem for his well known honesty, and his genial disposition and
kindly nature made him many warm friends. His wife was a worthy
helpmate, and their thirty years of happy wedded life were filled
with acts of charity and helpfulness to the needy or unhappy. Their
motto was always the old Biblical command “Let not thy right hand
know what thy left hand doeth,” and in its spirit they lived and
worked. In Masonic circles Mr. Horning was prominent. He joined
Lodge No. 62, F. & A. M., Dec. 19, 1865, and served as
Worshipful Master in 1866. He joined Excelsior Chapter, R. A. M.,
Oct. 12, 1883, and was High Priest in 1888. On April 27, 1887, he
was knighted in Reading Commandery, K. T., and was a member of
Rajah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. His interest was largely absorbed
by his lodge work, and he never took an active part in politics,
although he was always a good Republican.